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Old March 5th 19, 08:40 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Gary Harnagel
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Default Canada Joins Lunar Gateway

On Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at 8:11:44 AM UTC-7, Quadibloc wrote:

On Monday, March 4, 2019 at 4:07:24 PM UTC-7, Chris L Peterson wrote:

Well, that demands a lot more space than is reasonable here. Look at
the work of Wilkinson, Pickett, Stiglitz. The correlations between
income, and especially wealth, inequality are strong and extend to
virtually every social ill. (And it is seen over solid data extending
back over 250 years.)


At this point, I was going to reply that a correlation, without a causative
mechanism, tends to be viewed as unsatisfying. But I see this was addressed.

And there is a growing body of work by social
scientists and economists explaining the causative factors. And it
isn't being poor. Social problems are far more severe in rich nations
with large inequality than in poor ones that are more egalitarian.


That sounds kind of like the "envy" effect that John mentioned.

In the end, it probably comes down to our sense of fairness, and our
sense of common identity. When disparities grow too large, we end up
with class struggles and a society with subcultures where there is no
common identity.


Here, though, I would suggest that cause and effect are reversed.

A country like Sweden can have a very robust social safety net, because,
until quite recently, just about everyone there was a Swede. There wasn't
some large group of people in the country who were despised for being
lazy, for not having paid attention in school, and expecting the same
rewards as those who are diligent.

People will share with their brothers, but not with foreigners.

And thus the contention of Libertarians that the Right and the Left are
both the same thing, since both lead the way to more government control
... among many other things. People have an idea of fairness that includes
equality - but it also includes equality of effort. When you have diversity
in a society, things break down.

John Savard


So diversity isn't the great thing it's cracked up to be? I guess not
when the diversity is in degree of effort.

"By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be
boss and work twelve hours a day."Â*-- Robert Frost

“I am a great believer in luck. And I find the harder I work the more I
have of it.” -- Stephen Leacock

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor there see
themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily
embarrassed millionaires.” – John Steinbeck

I guess we don't think that way any more :-(